A Change in Fate
by arinhel.melleide
Summary: Cassia was worried that he would die before she even learned his name. Suddenly a mad thought struck her. 'What if I bought him' As his owner, she would be able to keep him from fighting and dying in the arena, could keep him near her, get to know him.
1. Chapter 1: A Look as if in a Dream

**A/N:** So I haven't uploaded anything in a long time, but I believe I am finally getting back into the game. This is one of the better pieces I have written lately, full of romance and drama set in the world of the movie Pompeii of which I own nothing (except a bluray/digital copy but that's beside the point). I am merely taking artistic liberty with the characters the writers so lovingly supplied to us.

**Please be patient and non-judgmental as you read the rest of this author's note.**

This story has a similar premise to one already existing on this site. I have discussed at length with the author of that story, MarPaloma, and they have given me their blessing to upload it here anyway. I am _not_ plagiarizing their story, as mine will being going in a different direction and be a bit darker, I believe. You can ignore this story if you wish, but I hope you won't because I am extremely proud of it.

Thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy the story.

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**Chapter I: **_A Look as if in a Dream_

She was grateful to Ariadne for pulling her away from that awkward conversation, but Cassia wondered what had gotten into her friend. She was acting very strange as she pulled Cassia along.

"Look over there," Ariadne jerked her head to indicate the direction she meant.

Cassia looked up and her breath caught in her throat. There was the slave that had been finding his way into her thoughts all day, standing on a short pedestal or stool, put on display as entertainment for the ladies. A few were fondling his arms, or caressing his chest. Heat rose on Cassia's cheeks as she thought to herself,

_What would he feel like under my fingers?_

The heat suffused her complexion even more when the trainer forced him to turn and his eyes caught hers.

Cassia quickly looked down at her feet, embarrassed by the thoughts running through her head; she barely heard what Ariadne was saying to her. She glanced back up at him through her lashes, a small smile formed when she saw he was still looking at her. Trying to keep her thoughts under control, Cassia kept looking at her feet, but the power of his gaze kept pulling hers back.

The Pompeiian girl was sad that he was here though, it confirmed what she had speculated when she first saw him, that he was a gladiator bound for the games on the morrow. Cassia was worried that he would die before she even learned his name.

Suddenly a mad thought struck her.

_What if I bought him? _

As his owner, she would be able to keep him from fighting and dying in the arena, could keep him near her, get to know him.

As soon as that thought hit her though, her father came and swept her away to the balcony, saying her presence had been requested by a guest. She kept eye contact with the slave for as long as possible, watching his expression fall a little as she walked out of his sight. Cassia was less than thrilled to discover the guest in question was Senator Corvus, the main reason she had left Rome. She left as soon as she had spent as much time with him as she could bear and was out of the room and making her way to where the gladiators were on display.

She walked up to the portly man, Graecus, master of the gladiators, picking up Ariadne again on the way. She kept asking what had happened, but Cassia waved her off, she did not want to think about the Senator at the moment.

"Master Graecus," he turned to face Cassia, a wan smile on his face.

"Lady Cassia, I don't normally have the pleasure. What can I do for you?" His voiced oozed grossly in her ears, and she suppressed a shudder.

"You own this man, correct?" She asked, pointing to the slave who was still staring at her, though now it was mostly out of confusion.

"Yes, I d-" Cassia didn't even let him finish.

"Would you be willing to sell him to me?" The expression on his face was shock and confusion. She briefly glanced at the slave in question and saw that his gaze had hardened, and he was looking at her with disgust_._ She kept the hurt from her expression and channeled it into determination as she glared Graecus down.

"My lady, he is but a savage who has been nothing but a gladiator his whole life, I am told. What need would you have of him?" He was looking pompous now, seeming to have found a way out.

"I have seen the way he is with horses. My horse trainer, Felix, disappeared last night during one of the tremors, and my horse came back without him this morning. I wish for this man to look after my horse." Cassia looked at the slave again, a pleading look in her eyes to try and make him understand.

"I'm afraid this man, known as the Celt, is set to fight single combat against my champion, Atticus, to close the games tomorrow, my lady. I cannot spare him." Graecus bowed slightly, not wishing to meet Cassia's burning gaze.

"I can assure you that you will be well compensated for what this slave is worth, you may find someone to take his place in the arena, I am sure of it." Cassia could see that it would be difficult to persuade Graecus, he was unmoved. "Shall I fetch my father, then? I'm sure he will listen to me, if you will not." She had turned and was about to tell Ariadne to fetch her father, when Graecus gently took hold of her arm.

"I am sure there is no need for that, Lady Cassia. Let's discuss a price shall we? I have heard you brought many goods back from Rome." He led Cassia away, and she could feel the burning eyes of the Celt on her back as she walked. She glanced over her shoulder and caught his gaze with hers. It was almost as if his eyes were speaking to her. The look in his eyes was one she could immediately understand.

_You're no different from the rest of them_.

* * *

Just as she had finished negotiating prices with Graecus, the ground began to shake beneath their feet. Cassia heard a woman scream, plates and pottery smashing; she looked back over to the Celt and he seemed more anxious and confused than afraid. He glanced at her, and she thought she saw concern, but his gaze was drawn to the window that he and the other gladiators were placed near. It was then that she heard the frantic whinnying and neighing of the horses.

Cassia ran to the window and saw the grooms struggling, trying to hold the stable doors closed. One of the horses must have broken its lead in its fright. She looked up at the Celt. He glared down at her, almost as if he was daring her to order him like all the other masters and trainers. She stared right back at him, not caring about the scrutinizing looks she was receiving. Another frantic horse cry distracted them from their staring match.

"You don't have to go, but I fear the poor beast will hurt itself otherwise." Cassia glanced back up at him as she said this. He nodded his head and she led the way to the stables. She ordered the grooms away, after they informed her that it was Veras who had broken loose, and let him into the stable alone, as he had requested. The noble girl waited until the whinnying had died down before she went in. What she saw stunned her for a brief moment.

The Celt was sitting atop and riding Veras as if he belonged there.

"How did you do that?" Wonder and amazement laced in her voice.

"I asked him." He said this as if it was the simplest task in the world to calm a frightened horse about to bolt, and then hop on its back like he had done it a hundred times.

"You could ride, before you were a gladiator?" Cassia asked.

"I could ride before I could walk. My people were horsemen." He replied as he slowed to a stop in front of her. Cassia pet and rubbed the beast's nose as she stared up at the man.

"_Were_ horsemen?" An inquisitive tone in her voice.

"My family were butchered by the Romans." A chill crept into his voice that hadn't quite been there earlier.

"I'm so sorry." Cassia swallowed thickly around the emotion that statement brought upon her.

"_Sorry_? What would a Roman know of such things?" He asked, almost imperiously.

"I'm _not_ a Roman, I am a citizen of Pompeii." She replied determinedly.

"Then why do I see Rome's eagle everywhere I turn?" He leaned forward on the horse, his intense eyes focused on her.

"I am no part of that!" She nearly shouted as she said that. Cassia realized her behavior and quickly took hold of her temper, occupying herself with the horse in front of her. "After a year in Rome, I hoped never to see that eagle again. Yet here it is thrust into the soil outside my home. My father believes he can bargain with those animals." She shook her head slightly.

"My father," he spoke more gently now, and Cassia looked up, struck by his tone. "He would have killed every last one of them." The noble girl wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so she settled for just gazing at his face. She was drawn into his eyes as he stared right back. "Why did you buy me from him?"

"I don't like the idea of men killing each other for sport." She turned around and asked over her shoulder, "Are you unhappy with having been taken from the life of a gladiator?" Evading his real question and walking to sit on a bench. He followed her, getting off the horse.

"I haven't really known another life, but I wouldn't say I'm unhappy with the change. This is the first time in many years that I have truly felt like a Celt." He crouched on the ground in front of her and looked up at her face, Cassia turned away. "You never really answered my question."

"Like I said, I don't enjoy the games at the best of times, but I felt worse at the thought of seeing you fight in them tomorrow." She was struck by the thought that she didn't even know his name. She stood up and walked back to her horse. "I feel even worse yet, for I do not even know your name, except that you are called The Celt. Though, I'm sure you have learned mine by now." Cassia looked down at her feet for a moment, but then glanced back up as she heard him walk up next to her.

"I have, my lady Cassia." He mock bowed to her. Though she knew any other woman in her position would feel offended, Cassia could feel the small smile that formed on her face. At the same time though, she did not like to hear the honorific coming from his mouth. It made her think of Senator Corvus and all the other men that flung themselves at her.

The smile left her face at that thought, and he looked at her confused.

"I would feel more comfortable if you would call me Cassia, just Cassia." He looked puzzled but nodded at her all the same. "What should I call you? Other than the Celt of course." She took a step toward him, the distance between them closing quickly as he stepped towards her also.

"My name is Milo." He moved as if to put his arms around her and Cassia was prepared to step into his embrace, when her father entered the yard. Cassia took a few quick steps back, flushing from the neck up. Milo just stood there for a moment, a little dumbstruck at what he had been about to do.

"Cassia, your presence is required to farewell the guests. It has been a trying evening for us all, please do not disappoint."

"Of course, Father, I shall be there in a moment." He nodded and left. She turned back to Milo, only to see that he had gone to take care of Veras, stabling and brushing him down for the night. Cassia watched him for a brief moment before walking over to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder and applied a light pressure, asking him to turn and face her.

"Yes, Lady Cassia?" She frowned at the honorific but let it go for now.

"I was wondering if you would care to follow me. I feel like I could use a little protection." Milo looked at her quizzically. "You see, my father invited almost every unmarried man in the city, who, over the course of this night, have either asked for my hand or asked if they could accompany me back to my bedchamber." His eyebrows raised at this. "Having a former gladiator as a bodyguard might be enough to deter them from asking anything else inappropriate while they are leaving."

"As you wish." She smiled at him, and he, briefly, returned the gesture, following her back into the villa.

* * *

Cassia stood next to her parents as they said farewell to their guests. Her mother had raised an eyebrow when she saw Cassia's 'shadow'. Cassia had waved her off whispering, "Later, Mother." She had then made one of those faces that every mother makes at their daughter at some point in their life when men are involved. Her father barely even noticed he was there at all. Milo appeared a little uncomfortable just standing there, a little ways behind Cassia, but not as much as when he was put on display earlier in the evening.

Several of the unmarried men who her father invited took one look at Milo, who glared at anyone who came too close to Cassia, only nodded briefly at Cassia and walked, as quickly as they could politely get away with, out of the villa. Cassia almost laughed out loud as she saw one of them men, who had been trying to get her to spend the night with him, gulp and not even nod, he just ran.

Unfortunately, the last guest to leave was Senator Corvus, the real reason that Cassia had asked Milo to act as her bodyguard for the evening. Cassia had hoped that having a gladiator standing next to her looking intimidating would deter him from speaking to her. Unfortunately, the senator was not so easily frightened. He didn't even seem to notice Milo at all, or her parents for that matter, as he walked straight up to Cassia, taking her hand. She felt Milo stiffen behind her, his breath coming in short bursts, as if he was having a hard time remaining calm. Proculus, the senator's second in command, noticed this and stared at him in confusion.

"I hope to see you tomorrow at the games, Lady Cassia. I believe I have a proposition you will not be able to refuse." His smile turned a little sinister as he bent to kiss her hand, and Cassia had to suppress a shudder of disgust.

"We will see about that, Senator Corvus." Cassia replied, ice in her tone. She wanted the Senator gone as soon as possible, and not just because he repulsed her. Cassia wanted to ask Milo what was causing him such distress. The Senator's sinister smile stayed in place as he spun on his heel and made for the gate.

"I hope to see those ledgers tomorrow, Severus." He didn't even turn his head to look at her father as he said this. Cassia finally turned her head to look at Milo. He shook with a barely contained rage, his eyes, filled with animosity, firmly fixed on the retreating backs of the Senator and Proculus. Cassia stayed outside, telling her parents she needed some fresh air after her encounter and that they should go inside. Her mother whispered in her ear as she walked by.

"I would like to hear the story behind this in the morning, Cassia." The girl nodded and then waited for her mother to fully enter the villa.

Cassia put a hand on Milo's arm, and he started, jumping out of reach and pulling his fists up. When he saw who she was, he instantly dropped them and looked guilty. He mumbled an apology and moved to sit on one of the steps, keeping his head down, looking at his hands. She walked to stand in front of him. He stubbornly kept his gaze on his hands.

"We can talk now, or we can talk tomorrow, but I do want an answer for your actions." His head shot up, a betrayed look in his eyes. "I'm not upset," she assured quickly. "Just a little worried, and confused." A relieved expression passed over his face and he let his head fall once again. They remained there, in silence, for a few moments until Cassia decided he would need a little time. "I think we should talk tomorrow after a night's rest, don't you think?" She, hesitantly, laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked back up at her, grasping her hand and pulling it from his shoulder.

"I can agree to that." Then he stood up and kissed her hand. Cassia flushed and shuddered again, but this time it was not out of disgust and she definitely did not suppress it. Milo noticed and smirked as he walked back to the stables, leaving Cassia sitting on the stairs alone in her thoughts. She remained seated and stared at her hands for a few moments trying to compose herself, before she went inside.

What neither Milo nor Cassia knew was that they had been watched, the entire time, by two separate parties with very different motivations.

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	2. Chapter 2: A Ride to Freedom?

_**A/N:** I have decided to stick as close as I can to plot of the movie with the changes I have made. This chapter, though, will take place during the time jump in the movie from the middle of the night at the villa/cells to noon the next day at the games. It will also be quite a bit of fluff with some drama mixed in near the end, so get ready._

_**Also, I would like to pose this to you, my wonderful readers, as a poll, if you will.**_

_**Do you want Milo and Cassia to survive the eruption and live happily(ish) ever after together, or do you want them to still have their epically romantic kiss as they are engulfed by the pyroclastic flow?**_

_I will decide myself if I don't get enough responses in time, so don't worry about me not posting anymore. I just thought it would be cool to see everybody's opinions. If the decision is split evenly, then I might even write both endings. ...Which I might do anyway...including a sequel...please don't judge me..._

_I do not own the movie Pompeii or any of its rights. I am merely taking artistic liberty with the characters the writers so lovingly supplied to us._

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**Chapter II:**_ A Ride to Freedom?_

Cassia woke just after dawn the next morning, despite how late the Vinalia feast had gone. There was a small smile on her face as she remembered what she had done the night before. Knowing that she had saved Milo from fighting in the games and that he cared for her as a person. He would not have acknowledged her in the ways that he had, if he did not truly care. At least that was the type of person Cassia thought he was.

Then she remembered everything else that had happened and the smile vanished. The Senator's words floated around in her head, and an icy dread filled her thinking about what he had implied as he was leaving.

"Any interesting dreams last night, Cassia? Perhaps involving a certain newly acquired bodyguard?" Ariadne asked as she walked in to help Cassia get ready for the morning. A cheeky smile dominated her expression until she saw Cassia's face, whereupon it dropped and she went about helping her friend in relative silence.

Cassia had told Ariadne everything that had happened when they were getting ready for bed. She had known what her childhood friend's reaction would be to Milo kissing her hand, a high, excited laugh followed by a short burst of giggling. She had gotten that over with first, and then she told her that the Senator had asked her to marry him. They talked for a while longer about everything else that had happened, including Milo's odd behavior upon seeing Senator Corvus, before going to bed.

The noble girl was on her way to the stables to have that talk with Milo, when Aurelia, Cassia's mother, intercepted her.

"Join me on the balcony, Cassia, I believe there is a matter we have to discuss?" Her mother raised an eyebrow, and walked back out to the balcony, Cassia following her a little reluctantly. Aurelia dismissed the servants that were tending to bird-cages, and turned to face Cassia. "Now what happened last night?"

"It's a long story, Mother." A pleading note in her voice that seemed to say, 'Please, can we talk later?'

"I have the time and I like long stories." Cassia's mother was not going to let her get out of an explanation.

"Fine, but let us sit down, it will be difficult for me to talk about it, and some of it might be hard for you to hear. Let me start by telling you a little about when I was in Rome." Cassia proceeded to tell her mother about Senator Corvus's advances in Rome, the reason she came home early, meeting Milo on the road, and her mad impulse decision to buy him from Graecus the night before. She did not mention the Senator's proposal of the previous night however, she did not want to discuss it with her mother. It was just too much for Cassia to think about.

"I brought him with me as a bodyguard because, it seemed like the best way to try to avoid awkward conversations and advances from the men Father invited. I had enough of that in Rome, and I did not wish it to continue here in Pompeii." She hoped she had hidden her true reason well in the words she spoke. They were not untrue in any way, they just were not the whole truth.

"Alright, I think I understand most of it, but what I really want to know is what happened between this slave and the Senator? He seemed extremely agitated, and I don't think it was just because he couldn't scare him off like the rest of your suitors." Aurelia chuckled a little at the thought, but Cassia was too distressed from telling her story to laugh along with her mother.

"I agree with you, Mother, and I don't have an answer for you. I was on my way to ask Milo that same question when you stopped me."

"Alright," Aurelia closed her eyes and nodded. "You may go." Cassia stood up and started to walk away, but her mother's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. A strange look came over her mother's face, and Cassia wasn't sure what it meant.

"What is it, Mother?" She grasped her mother's hand.

"I will see you at the games this afternoon, right?"

"Of course, Mother. I know how important they are to Father." She let go of her mother's hand, and walked to the entryway to the balcony. "I will see you this afternoon, Mother." Cassia smiled, waved and left.

* * *

"I thought you might have been here at dawn to see me, Cassia." She jumped, having just walked into the stall where he was working. Milo had not even looked up from cleaning the horse's hooves as he spoke.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked, her heart still beating much too fast, she could hear the tremor in her own voice. Milo stood up and looked at her. It seemed a tension left his shoulders as he gazed at her, and Cassia had to fight down the flush that was starting to creep up the back of her neck. She held his gaze just as long as he held hers, her never having been one to back down.

"You do walk lightly on your feet, true enough, but you wear scented oils and that is very noticeable in a place like the stables." He paused and stepped closer to her. "No one else who would come through here at this time of day own any scented oils, so who else could it have been but you, Cassia?" He had taken another step towards her as he spoke, Cassia had moved forward as well, and now they were mere inches apart. He raised a hand to her face, but hovered just above her skin.

His eyes searched hers, and she realized that he was seeking her consent. She slowly smiled and would have leaned into his palm, had not one of the grooms walked in. Upon seeing Cassia the man had wished her a good morning.

Milo closed his eyes and Cassia could have sworn she heard a growl and muttered cursing coming from him, as she stepped back and reciprocated the greeting. The groom went on his way, having just been fetching a broom, leaving the two of them in peace once more. Unfortunately for Cassia, Milo had turned back around and was now brushing Veras. Seeing the mood was thoroughly broken, Cassia turned to her other motive for coming to see Milo.

"I would have been here at dawn, or close to at least, but my mother pulled me aside almost as soon as I left my chambers." She walked up to him and laid her hand on his arm, slowing his brushing. "She wanted to know what happened last night, with Senator Corvus." Milo visibly tensed at the name, his arm completely still. "And so would, I, but not for the same reasons." She gently squeezed his arm, and he finally turned his head to face her. The look Cassia saw, nearly stopped her heart.

The rage on Milo's face was beyond measure. The pure, unadulterated hate in his eyes froze Cassia in place and was the only reason she had not let go of his arm and fallen a few steps back. She had never seen such anger in her life, and it scared her.

Milo obviously saw the fear on her face, because he pulled his gaze, and his arm, away from her, continuing to brush Veras.

"You should go back inside and prepare for the games, my lady." His voice entirely monotone, and the use of her title cut Cassia more deeply than she would have thought. It drove away her fear though, replacing it with sheer determination to never give in. A smile that could almost be described as sly, made its way on her face as she thought up the perfect plan to get Milo to open up to her.

"No, _Milo_," she made a pointed use of his name. "I do not think I will. The games are not for hours, I have time for a short ride on Veras." Milo grunted in a bare acknowledgement, but Cassia had seen the slight pause in his work. "Though, you know, I'm not allowed out for a ride unless the horse trainer comes with me, just in case something happens to the horse or I get injured." He was looking at her again, and Cassia thought she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He laid down the brush and turned to face her fully.

"You will be even safer now, with your horse trainer also being your bodyguard and a former gladiator." Milo said catching onto her train of thought, a smirk, of what could only be pride, on his face.

"Exactly what I had been thinking," A smug smile now firmly plastered on the noble girl's face.

Her heart fluttered at how the smirk on Milo's face slowly transformed into an actual, genuine smile as they held each other's gaze. He had Veras saddled in a matter of minutes, but instead of helping Cassia onto her horse, he hopped up himself.

He took Veras around the stables a couple times before he stopped and walked the horse up to her slowly. The look on his face was seemed to be asking her a question, and Cassia was a little confused until he extended an arm down to her. She looked down at his arm, up to his face, back to his arm, and then looked questioningly into his eyes. To which he responded by raising his eyebrows at her in a clear dare.

_Well are you coming, or not?_

Cassia smiled and grabbed hold of his forearm, and she was then lifted up and deposited behind Milo as if she was light as a feather. She had not been passive in that moment, but he had made the task so much easier by taking her full weight. On one arm. Not even a twitch on his face or a grunt of real effort. The noble girl placed her hands on his shoulders, but felt that was not really a secure enough place. She shifted her arms to wrap around his middle. Ariadne had been right, Milo had an extremely impressive physique. She could feel the muscle under her arms, along with the feeling of smugness that seemed to be radiating from him as she tightened her arms around his stomach.

The Celt kicked Veras straight into a gallop, tearing out of the stable and the yard, scattering grooms and caretakers alike. Cassia also thought she saw the purple cloak of one of the Senator's men, but she was not sure; they had moved so quickly and it was soon forgotten in the exhilaration of the ride.

* * *

Racing up into the hills around the mountain felt like a dream to the pair on horseback. Felix, for fear of her safety, had never really let Cassia get anywhere near the speed that Milo had pushed Veras to. It was not that he was forcing the beast to do anything, it was more like he was letting him run as he wanted.

The whole time Cassia could feel every breath, hear each beat of Milo's heart through his back, where she had the side of her face pressed. She tightened her grip around his stomach every now and then, and she could feel him chuckle in response. Sometimes, when Veras slowed down enough, he would free a hand and place it on top of her joined ones.

Cassia thought it must have been a very long time since he felt this much like a Celt, a true Celt. He had said he had felt so the night before, but it must be nothing compared to this ride. She could not imagine what his life must have been like for all those years, to have a piece of your life cut off, a piece that you yearned for. Then to suddenly have that freedom again, and feel whole. The noble girl understood a small piece of that, her year in Rome, she was always longing to be away, and then her return to Pompeii, her home, where she felt safe. This ride must have been freedom itself for one such as him.

Cassia knew, then, that this ride was never really about just spending time with her. She knew that it was about getting away from everything else, of the possibility of freedom.

All of a sudden, Milo pulled Veras to a stop at the top of a hill. While Cassia admired the view of her beloved Pompeii from this vantage point, she could not help but feel something was wrong with him. A tenseness in his shoulders that had not been there during the ride. She could hear the sense of regret in the sigh he gave as he stared out over her city and then looking out along the trail they had been following.

"What is wrong?" She asked after a few minutes of sitting in silence.

"It does not matter if I belong to you now, if they catch you up here with me." Milo's voice trailed off as he contemplated what would happen to both of them.

"I will tell them it was my choice." Cassia wrapped her right arm around his chest, laying her hand over his heart. He twisted in the saddle so they were facing each other. Once again, it seemed to Cassia that Milo's eyes were speaking to her.

_You would do that for me?_

Their faces were so close, their noses were touching. She could feel his warm breath on her face, and Cassia wanted nothing more than to finally know what his lips would feel like on her own. There was the briefest moment of lips brushing together, but Veras shifted at that moment, having become restless so close to the mountain, and jostled the couple in such a way as to knock their foreheads together.

They each reeled back, or in Milo's case, forward, and clutched at their foreheads, groaning. Then Cassia started to laugh. It was real, side-splitting laughter, the kind that eventually devolves into silent shaking, interspersed with deep gasps for breath. She leaned her head on Milo's back, and tried to tighten her grip around his middle, as he started to laugh along with her.

The horse must have been startled by their noise or spooked by the mountain, because he started shifting again, but in a much more agitated way, with quick, jerking movements. It unsteadied the laughing pair, and they fell to the ground. Cassia had let out a short, startled shout as she fell, but after a moment, she started laughing again. She had landed on top of Milo's back, effectively knocking the wind out of him, causing to groan, which Cassia thought extremely funny.

"If this is my reward for making sure you don't get hurt, then I don't think I will like being your bodyguard." He grumbled as he sat up, dislodging Cassia and sending her into another fit of giggles. She could see on his face that Milo was not really upset, that he was trying not to laugh too, which just made her laugh harder. He let a smile through his irritated façade, and shifted closer to Cassia, putting an arm around her shoulders to support her.

"I do not think I have laughed like that since I was a child, playing with Ariadne in the garden." She admitted as her laughter finally died down. Cassia leaned her head against his shoulder, settling herself into him, and gazing at panorama that was her wonderful home.

"I can't remember if I have ever laughed like that." Milo spoke quietly, but Cassia could hear the sadness seep back into his voice. The last vestiges of her laughter left as she recalled why she had wanted to talk to him that morning. She also remembered something that Corvus had mentioned to her while she was in Rome. The reason he was made a Senator.

"Senator Corvus is the man who ordered your family killed." It was said as a statement of fact, and she felt him stiffen beside her, his fingers, which had been making small circles on her arm, ceased their movement. "In Rome, he is called 'The Hero of the Celtic Rebellion' and I believe that is how he won his seat on the Senate." Milo shifted away from her, his arm dropping from her shoulders, and cleared his throat.

"They attacked our village in the night, killed everyone I loved, burned everything I knew. He slaughtered my mother and then ordered his second to execute the rest of my people. I lay on the ground pretending to be dead, I had been knocked over by his horse and my mother had told me to stay down." He took a deep breath and continued. "They piled all the bodies together, including me, except for my father and the elders. The Romans hung their corpses from their ankles in a tree, along with all our weapons. I can still see them in my dreams, still hear the ring of metal, as the swords and axes knocked against each other in the wind." Cassia sat up and looked at Milo, and saw his tortured expression, his gaze on a point somewhere above the horizon.

"You did not have to tell me this, I did not ask, and I thank you for telling me." She lifted a hand to his face, applying a gentle pressure to turn it towards her. Cassia closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. She took a deep breath. "So, in return, I will tell you of my grievances with Senator Corvus. They do not run so deep as yours, but they were enough for me." Cassia told him all that she had told her mother and Ariadne of what the Senator had said and done in Rome and even there in Pompeii.

"Now, I have even more of a reason to hate him." Milo pulled her into an embrace, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and her knees, which she had pulled to her chest, and tucked her head under his chin. After a moment she spoke again.

"In a strange way, though, I am grateful to that man." Milo pulled her away to look into her eyes, his gaze questioning, almost accusing

"What?" The noble girl shook her head slightly at the accusation now clear in his voice. She grasped his hand from her shoulder, and, bringing it up to her face, leaned into his palm.

"If not for his schemes for power and prestige, we would never have met. You would never have become a gladiator, who would one day be taken to Pompeii, and I would not have left Rome so early. I would never have seen that dark, brooding slave on the road, who had the kindness and strength to save that poor beast from a life of misery and pain. I would not have fo-" Milo cut her off, not wanting to hear her speak of never meeting him. He had decided to occupy her mouth with something other than words, something that they had both been waiting for.

* * *

_I'm really sorry to say this, but I'm not going to be writing as much for the next couple weeks. I'm studying for a career licensing exam, so the next chapter is going to take much longer to get up. I'm really sorry, but career does take precedence..._

_Please don't forget to review! __And, only if you want to, tell me your decision about the ending!_


	3. Chapter 3: Is My World Ending?

_**A/N:** I am so so so sorry for how long this took to put up. I have just been so stressed about hearing back from the state about the results of my licensing exam (which I won't get for another couple weeks, ridiculous right?) I just have been in no real mood to write anything down...TT-TT_

_Anyway, **regarding my sort of poll** about the ending, every person who reviewed about that asked me to let them live, cause isn't that what fanfiction is for? But I kind of wanted to write about their beautiful tragically romantic death scene so **I have decided to write two endings.** Fear not though ye people who asked for them to live, I will write that one first._

_Now onto this chapter that you will be reading now, it is almost exactly the fantastic arena scene, with a few subtle changes, because both Cassia and Milo are different from their strict movie selves. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter!_

_I do not own the movie Pompeii or any of its rights. I am merely taking artistic liberty with the characters the writers so lovingly supplied to us._

* * *

**Chapter III:** _Is My World Ending?_

Cassia had actually seen that flash of purple on their way out, it had been Proculus's cloak. He had sent for a search party from the garrison for her, as well as Senator Corvus. The Senator, on hearing the report on how the noble girl and the slave were found, had threatened to kill Milo. Cassia had been able to persuade Senator Corvus to spare his life, but there was a punishment for 'kidnapping' her.

Milo had been taken back by Graecus. He was once more to become the gladiator, The Celt, and fight in the arena, the very fate that she thought him saved.

"What was I thinking, Ariadne?" Cassia asked, having divulged the whole tale onto her handmaiden.

"That he made you feel alive." She replied, making the final adjustments on Cassia's outfit. The noble girl shook her head.

"He made me feel safe. A man like that does not deserve to die in the arena." She blinked a few times to clear away the beginnings of tears. Now was not the time to cry.

"There is nothing to be done now, he has caught the Senator's wrath." Ariadne, finished with her work, laid a hand on Cassia's shoulder to try and comfort her friend.

"Yes," she turned to face Ariadne, who saw determination in her eye, "and now the Senator has caught my wrath." She stood up and walked determinedly out of her chambers.

* * *

The sun beat down on the arena as Cassia and her parents made their way inside. Her father was pulled aside by Graecus, and Cassia nearly gave in to the impulse to slap the slaver. Aurelia took the opportunity to try and comfort her daughter, knowing how much the games were going to upset her, especially now that Milo would be fighting in them. Unfortunately, their conversation was cut short as the Senator was waiting for them in the Governor's box.

"Senator Corvus?" Aurelia spoke his name in confusion, but was completely ignored by the man in question.

"Lady Cassia!" He held out a hand for her and she stepped out in front of her mother. "Come and sit next to me, offer me the benefit of your wisdom." She accepted his hand and sat, barely concealing her rage when he continued to hold her hand. "Do you enjoy the sports?" He asked leaning in towards her. She ripped her hand out of his, and adjusted her skirt before looking at the Senator and replying.

"Men killing each other for our amusement is not a sport. I thought my position clear when I rescued Milo from that fate." Then she turned away to watch the chariot racers in their last few laps of the opening event, so she did not see the ire that rose in the Senator's eyes at her calling the slave by name.

Her father finally arrived, kissing her mother on the head as he passed, he smiled at Cassia. As he turned away, however, she could see the frustrated expression on his face. All her attention was soon drawn to the arena floor, the chariots were gone and men were being brought out.

The one in the lead was Milo.

He stopped in his stride as he caught sight of her, and her heart started racing, but he was shoved forward by that awful trainer. The gladiators were brought to the center, and shackled to the pillar that had been set up for the event. Milo's eyes had barely left hers the entire time, and she was on the edge of her seat.

"For those of us about to die, we salute you!" When all the gladiators shouted the words and saluted, he just continued to stare straight at her, unwavering, but he seemed to be mouthing something to her.

'_I promise, I will not die._' He repeated it a few times until he saw Cassia nod, with a small smile, showing she understood.

Anxiety gripped her, and stole her smile away, as the chorus announced what the games were in honor of. Cassia did not pay them much attention, until they mentioned 'The Celtic Rebellion.' Senator Corvus also sat up at that and looked at her father. Severus spoke of it as the Senator's finest hour. Cassia closed her eyes and shook with disgust at her father's simpering to the monster, and at the thought of Milo's family being murdered before his eyes.

She watched the Senator get up and announce the start of the games, but then her sole focus was on Milo.

He glanced at her one last time, before he turned to the large, dark-skinned man next to him and then up at the pillar he was shackled to. The noble girl watched her one-time bodyguard assess his situation as more men marched out of the tunnel and took up position across from him. They were gladiators dressed as roman legionaries with one man on a horse carrying Rome's eagle, obviously he was supposed to be Corvus.

It was to be seven against twenty-five, and the 'legionaries' were better armed and armored.

Cassia could barely stand it, she watched the 'Romans' move quickly forward and heft their spears. She breathed a small sigh of relief as Milo shouted for his men to put up their shields, and he was unharmed. Even from her seat she could clearly the determination on his face, as he readied himself for the charge. She winced as the two groups made impact, and two men were sent flying.

She lost sight of Milo for a moment, but then she heard him shout, and the 'legion' was pushed back. He was in the thick of the fighting, and Cassia still could not help but feel worried for his life, even though she could see that he was extremely good. The Senator stepped up to the rail for a better view and Cassia followed him.

"Is this what you call sport?" She demanded, briefly taking her eyes off the fight to glare at Corvus. Her gaze was dragged back after a moment, her worry and anxiety for Milo being much stronger than her rage at the Senator.

"No, Lady Cassia, this is not sport." He never took his eyes off the battling men. "This is politics." He walked back to his seat after another moment, but Cassia remained standing, almost transfixed by the scene of carnage before her.

She saw Milo start to climb the rocks, shouting for the other gladiators to follow him. She walked backwards to her seat, never taking her eyes away as she watched him climb to the highest rock, the other gladiators following suit.

Cassia stared as Milo jumped to avenge a fallen comrade, and flinched as he landed in a roll and was nearly stabbed. He came up swinging however, going straight for the one who had killed his ally, slitting his throat. More of the 'Romans' climbed up – Milo was never fighting less than three enemies at once, but he was still winning.

She heard the Senator say something about this not being how he remembered it. Cassia could not care less how the Senator remembered his massacre of the Celts. All she wanted, in that moment at least, was for Milo to make it out of this fight alive.

Soon, he and the tall barbarian were the only 'Celts' left, Milo was still fighting well. He was dispatching his assailants with quick and efficient blows, but she was on the edge of her seat nonetheless. Her eyes tracking his every movement, flinching at every barely dodged blow.

"What exactly is that slave to you?" The Senator asked, looking between the noble girl next to him and the gladiator out on the field.

"Everything you are not, Senator." Cassia did not even glance his way as she answered, she continued to watch the only man she ever cared about fight for his life. She gasped and muttered Milo's name under her breath as she flinched at another close dodge.

"Then you should be pleased to learn your father has granted me your hand in marriage." Cassia whipped her head around at mention of the word 'marriage'.

"What?!" She heard the outrage and shock in her mother's tone. Her father blustered, claiming he had made no such arrangement with the Senator. Corvus ignored them and went on.

"Because he knows if he does not, I will inform Titus that your father has called into question our _new_ emperor's ability to rule. Titus will have your entire family hung from the city walls." Cassia needed a moment to let all of that sink in. She looked down at her feet, but Corvus had one last thing to say. "And if your slave somehow survives this, he will meet the same fate as you and your family, if you do not agree."

It was like the wind had been knocked out of Cassia, she was finding it hard to breathe.

However, a moment later they were all distracted by the barbarian gladiator. He shouted for Milo, as he struck at the pillar, which appeared to be plaster molded around reeds. The Celt seemed to catch on and started acting as guard while the other man repeatedly struck the pillar with his axe. It collapsed under its own weight, crushing a few 'legionaries'.

The man on horseback was still riding around the edge of the field though, and Cassia knew Milo would never miss an opportunity to ride. He grabbed one of the many spears lodged into the rocks, and chucked it, with deadly precision, killing and throwing the man off the horse.

The Celt leapt to the ground, landing in a roll and ran for the horse. He mounted while it was still running, and he was a sight to behold. She would never tire of watching him ride. He rode the horse around the edge of the arena, and pulling the chain that had shackled him taut used it to knock over his remaining enemies.

It was a brilliant plan, until one of them decided to pull the chain back, yanking Milo off the horse, and knocking the wind out of him. She lost sight of him then, the rocks and the Senator blocking her view, but she heard the crowd cheer as the tall barbarian threw his battle axe.

"If I were to marry you," Cassia started, Corvus raised a brow. Aurelia spoke her name warningly, but she silenced her mother with a gesture, wishing to speak. "_If_ I marry you," she paused, suppressing a shudder at the thought, "is my family spared?" She stared unwaveringly at Corvus, not one to ever back down. She almost looked away when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Milo fighting the last of his opponents. Senator Corvus sat down, leering at her.

"Your family, will become my family. Under the protection of the emperor, and all the benefits that entails." She nodded slowly, hating herself for making this decision, but hating Corvus all the more for forcing her into it.

"Senator?!" Proculus called for his commander's attention. Cassia could hear the crowd chanting 'Pompeii', and then she saw Milo. He was standing on top of the rocks again, and in his hand he held the Roman eagle standard.

"I do not yield to the power of Rome! I spit on it!" The crowd continued to chant as he raised the standard and held it horizontally in his hands.

"He would not dare." The Senator spoke, never taking his eyes off the slave. Milo then brought the standard down across his leg, snapping it in half. He chucked the eagle to the ground and threw the remaining half like a spear, straight at the Senator. Unfortunately, Proculus acted quickly, swiping it out of the air with his sword.

Corvus shot forward to stand next to Proculus and demanded he get a detachment of soldiers into the arena.

Cassia and Milo locked gazes for the first time since the games started, relief and anxiety washed through her under his gaze. She was so glad that he had survived, but she knew that Corvus had something cruel in mind. Both of their gazes were pulled away by the arriving detachment of real Roman legionaries. A line of men armed with bows formed up in front of Milo and his friend. The Senator stood and raised a closed fist, and the archers readied to fire.

Milo's eyes found hers again, and she could hear the crowd shouting 'Nay!' Cassia was not going to sit by and let Corvus execute him. She ran forward and thrust her thumb up. The crowd cheered, following her example, and the archers stood down, but the only reaction she cared about, was Milo's. He took a heavy breath, and a smile fluttered across his face, before the reality of what she had done for him sunk in, especially as the Senator bodily grabbed hold of her.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Corvus hissed at her. Aurelia stood to defend her daughter but was threatened back into her seat by the Senator.

"If you kill him now, on the tip of a hundred Roman arrows, you make him a martyr to the mob. Is that what you want? To take home to your emperor a revolution?" The Senator seemed to consider this, looking around the amphitheater at the people of Pompeii still cheering for the slave who had broken the eagle standard and openly flouted Rome. She continued her argument, "And if you reverse this decision, how will it be spoken of in Rome? They will whisper it behind your back, that you have a wife who does no obey your will. Can your reputation bear such a weakness? I may become your wife, but you will never break me."

"But I will break you. And you will stay broken, to stand, sit or crawl as I decree. Do you understand me?" Corvus shook her with each sentence, his rage at her defiance nearly bursting him at the seams. Cassia just glared back at him, never showing any fear, she did not want to give him the satisfaction. He took a deep breath and called to Proculus to summon his guard to take her back to the villa, and she was unceremoniously shoved at the Lieutenant. He then shoved her at one of his guards.

Cassia wrestled with her captor, struggling to get away, telling him to let her go. Mad thoughts of dashing out onto the field entered her head, to be with her gladiator, to be safe in his arms even if it was just for a moment. Proculus's guard was manhandling her, throwing an arm around her middle and dragging her. She glanced back into the arena, back at Milo.

He looked ready to leap to her rescue. She dreaded– and hoped at the same time as only a woman could – that he would actually try. Thankfully – and regretfully – his friend grabbed hold of his arm just as Milo took a step forward, shaking his head and pointing. There were still a large number of Roman soldiers with spears and arrows aimed at him. Cassia shook her head as well, her eyes filling with tears as she ceased her struggles. She knew that he would try to rescue her, Roman legion be damned, and she did not want him to die then, not for her sake.

Cassia lost sight of Milo as the tremors started, the guard continuing to drag her away. No doubt he wanted to get out of the amphitheater as soon as possible, lest it fall on his head. She could still hear Corvus and his posturing. If she had to give one thing to the Senator, it was that he knew how to manipulate any situation to his advantage.

Cassia and her captor were joined by more Proculus's men as they walked out of the arena, at least half a dozen soldiers, not including her initial captor, now surrounded her.

"Come on, girl, don't just stand there." The first guard tugged on her arm rather roughly, pulling her forward.

_Girl?!_ The indignation was clear on her face, as they dragged her on, rage etched into every feature. Then she realized there was no Milo to go berserk – and be killed – if she resisted, and therefore no longer any reason to go along with them meekly. They had managed to get her down the street before Cassia dug her heels into the ground.

"I am not some slave or servant girl, I am not just some merchant's daughter! I am the daughter of the governor of Pompeii, and even if I am disgusted by the very idea of it, I am going to be married to the Senator! You will not refer to me as 'girl', nor will you manhandle me in this manner!" She ripped her arm out of his grasp – sorely tempted to give him a good kick in the shins – and turned, running back into the amphitheater, back to Milo. Cassia only managed a few steps before she was seized by two of the other guards, who dragged her backwards – kicking and screaming – along the road.

* * *

By the time they reached the villa, Cassia had resigned herself and was only being dragged forward by her arm again, giving a tug every now and then though. As soon as Ariadne saw how they were treating her, she ran forward, begging them to let Cassia go, calling her name. The soldiers just shoved her out of the way, knocking her to the ground.

"Leave her alone!" Cassia shouted. Her indignant cries in defense of her friend were cut short, however, as she was thrown into the storeroom. She stumbled and fell over a table, much to the soldiers' laughter as they locked her in. She landed, rather ungracefully, face first, almost all her jewelry fell off and she was covered in dirt. She slammed her fists into the ground as the sound of the lock clicking and the guards' laughter reached her ears, tears of frustration leaking from the corners of her eyes. The Pompeiian girl wiped her eyes and stood up, starting to look for another way out of the storeroom.

Cassia looked in every nook and cranny of the large room over the half hour, but all she found was vegetables, and grains, and more vegetables. She was about to scream in frustration when the earth, once again, started to shake beneath her. She heard the guards and Ariadne shouting outside, the horses panicking as the rumbling grew louder. Running to the door in a vain hope that the quake might have broken the lock, Cassia tried the door again.

"Cassia! They took the key!" Ariadne shouted from the other side, causing her friend's hear to sink. Cassia's heart sunk even further when she heard and saw the crack spreading along the wall next to her. She heard Ariadne scream, and made to hide under the table she had fallen over before, but she did not quite make it when the roof, which had caught fire somehow, fell, nearly crushing her. She crawled out, but the smoke and dust was choking her and she collapsed.

* * *

_Okay, constructive criticism is welcome, but as always reviewing is totally optional. ^_^_


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